


City of Angels

by BBCGirl657



Series: Actor One-shots [19]
Category: 30 Seconds to Mars, American Actor RPF, American Singers RPF
Genre: F/M, Rated Mature for Langauge, Rated Mature for Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-04-30 23:48:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 12,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5184326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBCGirl657/pseuds/BBCGirl657
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noelle Capozzoli, a girl from Alabama, moves out West to Los Angeles with nothing but a suitcase and $100 in her pockets to chase her dreams of becoming a singer. By chance, she performs at an open mic night and Jared happens to see her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How 'Bout a Dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noelle escapes her small town and moves to Los Angeles. She gets a job at a bar, which leads to her meeting Jared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics belong to "How 'Bout a Dance?" from Bonnie&Clyde the musical

Noelle threw all she could in her duffle bag and grabbed her guitar case, before bolting out the back door.

The pavement was hot under her feet, but she kept running.

If she didn’t get out now, she knew she never would.

She found herself at the bus station.

“Miss Noelle, where are you going?” Barbra asked her.

“I need a ticket on the soonest bus to Birmingham”, Noelle told her.

“Does Derek know about this?” Barbra asked.

“No and he doesn’t need to know”, Noelle said, “Just sell me the goddamn ticket”.

The older woman didn’t know how to respond to Noelle’s harsh tone and sold her a ticket without asking anymore questions.

* * *

From Birmingham, she took a bus to Los Angeles.

It took nearly 3 days, but soon Noelle was standing on California soil.

It was loud, but no hotter than her hometown.

She found a hotel to stay in until she could find a job and get her own apartment. Noelle collapsed onto the bed and pulled out her laptop to start searching for jobs.

* * *

*4 months later*

Noelle sighed and walked around the bar picking up used glasses and plates. She gazed at the stage, wishing that she could be up there performing. She set her tray on the bar and started handing the glasses to Cami.

“What’s wrong, darlin’?” she asked.

“I came out here nearly 4 months ago and Joe has yet to let me get up on that stage”, Noelle told her.

“Honey, this is one of the most popular bars in the city. We’re booked up nearly every night”, Cami said, “You’ll get your chance, sweetie”.

“Yeah, but when?” Noelle whined.

The artist stepped down from the stage as Joe walked over to her.

“Here’s your chance”, Cami whispered.

“You wanted your chance, you got it”, Joe said.

Noelle pulled off her apron and grabbed her guitar. She stepped up on stage as three men walked through the door.

“Here? Seriously Jared?” Shannon asked him.

“I haven’t been here in awhile”, Jared said as the owner walked up to them.

“Jared! Never thought I’d see you in here again! I would let you get up on stage, but the new girl’s been wanting to perform every since she started here”, Joe told him.

The three men ordered drinks as Noelle started to sing.

The song wasn’t a rock song, but rather a Vaudeville like song.

 _How bout a dance_  
_What do you say?_  
_I’ve got some moves_  
_That I’d love to show ya_  
_Let’s find a spot_  
_And dance the night_  
_Away…_

“Ugh”, Shannon groaned, “What does she think this is? Broadway or something?”

“Shut the fuck up, man”, Jared told him.

“Yeah, let the girl sing”, Tomo said.

The girl wasn’t perfect, but she definitely had potential.

She sang the song with heart.

If you didn’t sing the song with emotion, no one cared.

 _How bout a dance_  
_It’s always fun_  
_Come over here_  
_Let me get to know ya_  
_Can’t beat a band_  
_To lift your spirits high_  
_You look so handsome_

Noelle’s eyes connected with Jared’s. She’d never believed in love at first sight (thanks to Derek), but she found herself unable to look away as she continued singing.

 _How bout a dance_  
_Let’s make a start_  
_Music like this_  
_Can really throw ya_  
_You’ll lose the blues_  
_And you may lose your heart_

 _Tonight is the night_  
_I’ve been waiting for_  
_Even the moon looks just right_  
_I’m sure the crowd will make room on the floor_  
_When they see you_  
_Look like you do_  
_So…_  
_How bout a dance_  
_Let’s make a start_  
_Music like this_  
_Can really throw ya_  
_You’ll lose the blues_  
_And you may lose your heart_  
_You’ll lose the blues_  
_And you may lose…_  
_Your heart…_

When she finished, there was sparse clapping.

“Umm…thank you”, Noelle said. She stepped down from the stage and walked back over to the bar. She grabbed her apron to put it back on. Noelle heard someone clear their throat. She looked up and saw the guy she was singing to.

He had bright blue eyes, but she figured it was the red and black hair and eyeliner that made them stand out so much.

“Umm…hi”, she said.

“I’m Jared Leto”, he said.

“Is that supposed to impress me?” she asked him.

Jared was shocked into silence.

“You do realize that punk is out, right?” she told him, “You’re not the first rockstar I’ve met”.

“Probably not, but I’m the only one that matters”, Jared said.

Noelle bit her lip.

He clearly gave as good as he got.

“I’m Noelle”, she told him.


	2. Sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared takes Noelle under his wing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics belong to "Blown Away" by Carrie Underwood

“Sing it again”, Jared told her.

Noelle groaned.

After meeting at the bar, Jared had decided to take her under his wing and train her.

“I’ve been singing the same damn song for an hour”, she said.

“There’s nothing there”, he said, “Where’s the emotion?”

“I _am_ singing it with emotion!” Noelle snapped.

“I’m not hearing it”, he said.

“How long do you think it’s going to take before Jared pushes her too far?” Tomo asked Shannon.

“Give it a couple more hours”, Shannon told him.

“What do you want from me, Jared?” Noelle asked him, “I’m never going to be able to do this”.

“I want you to fucking sing it like you sang that night in the bar”, Jared said, “And stop being so hard on yourself. You can do this Noelle. I don’t do this for everyone. You’re special. Now close your eyes and sing”.

Noelle glared at him before queuing up a different song.

 _Dry lightning cracks across the skies_  
_Those storm clouds gather in her eyes_  
_Her daddy was a mean old mister_  
_Mama was an angel in the ground_  
_The weather man called for a twister_  
_She prayed blow it down_

 _There’s not enough rain in Oklahoma_  
_To wash the sins out of that house_  
_There’s not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past_

 _Shatter every window ‘til it’s all blown away,_  
_Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away_  
_'Til there’s nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday_  
_Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,_  
_Blown away_

 _She heard those sirens screaming out_  
_Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch_  
_She locked herself in the cellar_  
_Listened to the screaming of the wind_  
_Some people call it taking shelter_  
_She called it sweet revenge_

 _Shatter every window 'til it’s all blown away,_  
_Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away_  
_'Til there’s nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday_  
_Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,_  
_Blown away_

 _There’s not enough rain in Oklahoma_  
_To wash the sins out of that house_  
_There’s not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past_

 _Shatter every window 'til it’s all blown away_  
_Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away_  
_'Til there’s nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday_  
_Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,_

_Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away_

Noelle was panting with exhaustion and anger.

“Where in the hell did that come from?” Shannon asked her.

Noelle opened her mouth to say something, but Jared beat her to it.

“What does it matter where it came from?” Jared snapped, “That’s what I’m talking about. When picking songs, pick songs that speak to you. Ones you can relate to. Now come on, I think you’ve earned a break”.

Jared and Noelle made their way into the kitchen, leaving Shannon and Tomo in the basement.

“How long do you think it’ll take them to get together?” Tomo asked.

“Give it a couple weeks”, Shannon said, “If my idiot little brother hasn’t made a move by then, we’ll just have to help them along”.


	3. Heart Vacancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle go out for lunch and he learns more about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mentions of past domestic abuse

When Noelle wasn’t working or performing at various venues around the city, she was hanging out with the boys. Right now, she was lying on the couch in the basement listening to the three practice. She jumped up and asked, “Are any of you hungry?”

“We’re good”, Jared told her.

“Well, I’m going to go grab some lunch”, she said grabbing her keys and wallet, “See you guys later”. She left the basement and Shannon turned to Jared.

“Dude, why don’t you just fucking ask her out already?” Shannon asked.

“What if she says no?” Jared said.

“You’ll never know until you ask her”, Tomo told him.

Jared set his guitar down and ran after her. “Noelle!” he called.

She stopped and turned around. “Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“I changed my mind”, he said.

She giggled and said, “Okay”.

* * *

They ended up going down to the beach and getting food from one of the vendors.

“So, is it hard being a vegan?” Noelle asked him.

“Depending on where you are. Some times when we’re on tour, it’s hard to go out to dinner because most places don’t offer anything I can eat”, he told her, “But in a city like L.A., most people are health conscious, so there’s lots of vegan and vegetarian options”.

When they finished eating, they sat on the beach watching the waves.

“So, why’d you come out to L.A.?” Jared asked her.

“You know I why I came to L.A. To sing”, she told him.

“Noelle, you mostly stick to the country genre. If you wanted to sing country music, you would’ve gone to Nashville”, he said, “Two kinds of people come to L.A. Those who are running away from something and those who are running towards something”.

“And who do you think I am?” she asked him.

Noelle knew that Jared knew exactly what kind of person she was.

“Who was he?” Jared asked her.

“His name was Derek”, she said, “I’d been with him since high school, but no matter how much I asked him, he wouldn’t marry me”.

“That’s not all, is there?” Jared asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it”, she told him.

* * *

Jared walked Noelle back to her apartment.

“Thank you for the lovely afternoon, Jared”, she said unlocking her door. She started to go inside when Jared grabbed her arm. She froze.

Jared sensed her panic and let go. “He abused you, didn’t he? That’s why you won’t let anyone in”, he said.

“Please just go, Jared”, she told him, “I want to be alone”.

“Let me take you out on a real date. Let me show you that not all of us are like him”, Jared begged.

“Today wasn’t a date, Jared”, she snapped.

“I’m sorry”, he apologized, “Let me take you dinner tomorrow night, please?”

“I’ll think about it”, Noelle said, “I can’t promise you anything”.

“If you do decide to come, I’ll be at the little café down from the bar”, Jared told her.

“Goodnight, Jared”, she said and shut the door in his face.

* * *

Jared stood outside the small café, waiting for Noelle.

A thousand questions ran through his mind.

What if she wasn’t coming? What if he was just wasting his time? What would he do if she _did_ decide to come?

His mind was quieted when he turned his head and saw her walking towards him.

“Are those for me?” she asked him, gesturing to the flowers in his hands.

He nodded as she took them.

Noelle brought them up to her nose to smell them.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her.

“Starving”, she told him.

Jared placed his hand on the small of her back and led her inside.


	4. Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noelle gets a shock when Jared tweets a picture of his new hair.

“Have you seen Jared’s latest tweet?” Macy asked Noelle.

“What’s it say?” Noelle asked.

“…I think you’d better take a look…” Macy said.

Noelle brought up Twitter on her phone and clicked on Jared’s profile.

_@jaredleto: Do you think Noelle is going to kill me?_

Attached to it was a picture Jared with a bright pink mohawk.

She tweeted back at him.

_@noelleleto: @jaredleto Yes. She is going kill you.  
_

Her phone started ringing.

Jared was trying FaceTime her.

She answered the call. “What the hell did you do to your hair?” she asked him.

“Don’t you like it, sweetheart?” he asked.

She pouted. “But…I liked your hair the way it was before”, she told him.

“Are you sad because you won’t have anything to grab onto while we’re having sex?” he asked her.

“Jared Joseph Bryant Leto! I am in public and you are on speakerphone! I will not have that kinda talk”, Noelle snapped.

“Mm, I love it when you talk southern Belle”, Jared teased.

“You’re one to talk. You were born in Louisiana”, she said.

Jared laughed.

“Hey Jared! Hurry up! We’re burning daylight here!” she heard Shannon yell in the background.

“I’ve gotta go, sweetheart, but I’ll see you at home”, he said.

“I love you Jay”, Noelle told him.

“I love you too, sweetheart”, Jared said. He kissed the screen and hung up.

Noelle walked back over to where Macy was standing.

“Still going to kill him?” Macy asked her.

“Oh yeah. I’m still gonna kill him”, Noelle told her.

* * *

Noelle returned home to find Jared setting the table and lighting candles.

He had made dinner for the both of them.

Noelle was shocked.

The pink mohawk had been gelled down.

“I thought I would apologize for not telling you that I was going to change my hair”, he told her. He walked up to her and she wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s none of my business whether you change your hair or not”, she said.

“I know, but you’re my wife”, he said kissing her forehead.

“It’s your hair, Jared. You can do whatever you want with it”, she said, “I know it’s your way of expressing your personality, although I’m convinced you’re going through a late punk phase and you’ll get over it eventually”.

Jared gave an amused look.

“Sorry. I’m just saying I wasn’t ready for it to be bright pink”, she told him.

“What do you think about bright blue then? Or neon green?” he asked her.

She patted him on the chest and said, “Let’s not go that far yet”.

Jared laughed and kissed her head.

“So, what’s the agenda tonight, my husband?” she asked him.

“Dinner and a movie, my little wifey”, he told her.


	5. All I Ever Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared asks Noelle record a duet with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics belong to “All I Ever Needed” by Paul McDonald and Nikki Reed

“Hey babe!” Jared called, “Can you come down here for a second!?”

Noelle came down the stairs and said, “What?”

“Come over here”, he told her.

There was recording equipment set up around him.

“Jay, what’s going on?” she asked him.

“Just come over here”, he said.

She walked over to Jared and sat across from him. She looked down at the sheet music in front of her.

“You can sight read, right?” he asked her.

She nodded.

He hit record and started to play the piano and sing. Jared’s eyes never left Noelle’s.

 _My bed sheets feel empty_  
When you’re not home  
Your heartbeat helps me sleep  
Your breath soothes my soul

 _Baby, you’re all_  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed  
You’re all I’ve ever needed

 _I love you more than I knew_  
I could ever love someone  
And got it all so deep  
I can barely even breathe  
If I need a shelter from the storm

 _Baby, you’re all_  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed

 _Every promise I made_  
Has lead us up to this day  
Please, remember my love  
When you’ve forgotten your way

 _And this ache in my heart_  
Makes me want to stand tall  
I let them take me down  
What if this isn’t my fault  
Tell me it’s not my fault  
Tell me it’s not my fault

 _Baby, you’re all_  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed  
You’re all I’ve ever needed

 _I love you more than I knew_  
I could ever love someone  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all  
Baby, you’re all I’ve ever needed

At some point, Tomo and Shannon had come downstairs, but Jared and Noelle took no notice.

When they finished, the words flowed from Jared’s lips before he could stop them.

“I love you”.

Noelle smiled and said, “I love you too”.

They heard applause and turned their heads.

Noelle blushed as the two congratulated Jared.

“Jared? You do know it’s still recording, right?” Tomo asked him.

“Really?” he said, “Well fuck it. Leave it on. It can go on the next record”.


	6. For Better or Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared, while performing a stunt, is injured.

It was a normal routine.

They were practicing for the concert and Jared was doing his signature move where he jumped off Shannon’s drum kit.

Unfortunately, this time his foot slipped and he landed on the stage on his back.

The breath was knocked out of him.

“JARED!” Shannon yelled. He jumped up and ran to Jared’s side.

Jared was gasping for breath.

“Calm down and breathe for me, Jay”, Shannon told him. He tried to help Jared up, but Jared cried out in pain and grabbed his shoulder.

“We’ve got to get him to a hospital”, Tomo said coming over to them.

“No. The show”, Jared rasped.

“Shut-up Jared. You’re not going to be able to perform tonight. You could have broken ribs for all you know”, Shannon told him, “Call Noelle and tell her to meet us at the hospital”.

Tomo pulled out his phone and dialed Noelle’s number.

* * *

Noelle was out and about when she got the call. “Tomo? Shouldn’t you guys be practicing?” she asked.

“It’s Jared. He…had an accident” he said.

“What?! Is he okay?!” Noelle asked, starting to panic.

“We’re at the hospital and the doctor is checking him out as we speak”, Tomo told her.

“I’m on my way”, Noelle said.

“Noelle, he’s fine, really. We’ll just meet you back at the house”, Tomo said, but Noelle had already hung up.

* * *

She arrived at E.R. and found Shannon and Tomo sitting in the waiting room. “Someone explain to me what happened”, she said.

“You know the move that Jared does where he jumps off my kit?” Shannon asked her, “Well, his foot slipped and he fell”.

“I always tell him that that’s dangerous, but he never listens to me”, Noelle said, “Ugh! I could kill him!”

“I think his own stupidity might beat you to it”, Tomo joked, causing Noelle to glare at him. “Sorry. Bad timing”, he said.

The doctor walked up a few minutes later and all three of them stood up.

“I’m guessing you’re the wife”, the doctor said, “Nothing’s broken, but he does have three bruised ribs and a hairline fracture in his shoulder. No lifting anything heavy, no playing, and performing”.

“Jared’s not going to be happy about that”, Shannon said.

“His arm is in a sling to prevent a lot of movement. I’ll need to check on him in a couple weeks and take more x-rays”, the doctor told them.

“Thanks, doc”, Tomo said.

* * *

For the next few days, Noelle had to help Jared do everything. She helped him get dressed in the morning and made his meals.

He stayed away from the basement, because it killed him not to be able play.

“You can still sing, though”, Noelle told him.

“I know that, but I’m only truly happy when I’m playing…or fucking you”, he said.

Noelle’s cheeks burned red.

Even after knowing him for 9 years and being married to him for 5, his language still managed to get her to blush.

“None of that either”, she told him, “…Unless you wanna be on bottom”.

“I’m not allowed excessive movement and you know I can’t keep my hands off you”, Jared said smiling at her wickedly.

“You know there’s a way to fix that right?” she asked him. She leaned close to his ear and said, “It’s called your hand”.

Jared lunged for her, but Noelle jumped back.

“No excessive movement remember?” she teased.

“Get over here you minx”, Jared growled.

“No thank you”, she told him, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my vibrator”.

Jared jumped up and grabbed her around the waist. He slammed his lips onto hers.

“Easy, you two”, Shannon said entering the kitchen, “You heard what the doctor said. If you want to go on tour, you’ll have to get better first”.

Jared sighed knowing that as usual, Shannon was right.

“What do you say we order some pizza?” Noelle asked. She ran to the bedroom to get her phone, leaving Shannon and Jared alone in the kitchen.

“You know, I’m really fucking glad you married her”, Shannon told his younger brother.

“Me too”, Jared said.

Noelle had stood by her wedding vows.

In sickness and in health (because Jared could act like a bitch when he was sick), for richer or for poorer (she had married him during the fiasco with EMI), and for better or worse.

No matter what happened, she stood by him.


	7. One Life, One Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle take their relationship to the next level.

Jared and Tomo stood on the cliff they often came to when they were feeling stressed.

After both doing a pushami, Jared turned to Tomo.

“By the way, I thought of a name for the record”, Jared said.

“Yeah? What is it?” Tomo asked.

“This is War”, he told him, “There was something else I wanted to tell you…I’m thinking of proposing to Noelle”.

“Shit. Really?” Tomo asked.

“I just don’t know if it’s the right time. I keep wondering if I should have done it when everything was fine”, Jared said.

“Dude, you two are made for each other”, Tomo told him, “When you find the right one, you know it. Trust me. So when are you thinking of doing it?”

“I was thinking Christmas”, he said.

* * *

*Christmas*

Jared and Shannon returned from getting a tree.

It was a tiny pathetic little thing.

“Promise me that next Christmas, we will get a real tree”, Noelle said.

“I promise”, Jared said kissing her forehead.

She tilted her head up and captured his lips with hers.

Jared pulled away and said, “I actually wanted to ask you something”. Jared stepped back from her and lowered himself down on one knee. “Noelle, will you marry me?” he asked. He hadn’t meant to propose like this. He had wanted it to be special, but he just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Of course I will Jared”, Noelle said.

Jared stood up and kissed her again. “I’m sorry. It was supposed to be…” Jared told her, but Noelle cut him off.

“Shut the fuck up, Jared”, she told him.

He grinned at her wickedly, because she never cursed. Ever.

“It doesn’t matter to me”, she said, “I don’t care how you planned it out. I don’t care if nothing went according to your plan. I love you and I can’t wait to marry you”.

* * *

That night, as Noelle hung out with the guys in the basement, she couldn’t stop looking at the ring.

She figured he’d had it for a while, since they were practically bankrupt.

“Do you like it?” Jared asked her.

“I love it”, she told him. She got up and said, “Well, this has been an exciting day. I’m going to bed”. She pecked Jared on the lips and said, “Don’t stay up to late”. She kissed Tomo and Shannon on the cheek and said, “That goes for you two as well”.

“Yes mother”, Shannon teased her.

As she walked behind him, she slapped him on the back of the head. She heard Tomo and Jared laughing hysterically as she went up the stairs.

* * *

Noelle was awoken about an hour later by Jared climbing into bed.

Jared was sniffling.

She turned on the light and found Jared sitting on their bed crying. “Jay? What’s wrong?” she asked him.

“Why do you want to marry me?” he asked her.

“Because I love you”, she told him. Noelle reached out to touch him, but he jumped up.

“I’M FUCKING BROKE NOELLE! I have nothing to give you!” he yelled at her.

She glared at him. “I’m not marrying you for your money or your fame. I fucking love you Jared. I never thought I’d love anyone after what happened with Derek”, she snapped, “Did you just propose, because you don’t want to be alone?”

“I love you, Noelle”, Jared told her, “It’s just…this fucking thing with EMI. What if they don’t accept our terms? I could lose everything”.

“But you wouldn’t lose me”, she reassured him, “Even if this house is sold out from under us, I’ll still love you. Even if we were homeless, I would still marry you, because I love you”.

Jared calmed down and climbed back in bed.

“Everything is going to be okay. I promise”, Noelle told him.

* * *

For New Years, Jared and Noelle retreated to Miami.

Things on the record had stalled and it was decided that everyone should take a step back.

While they were walking around, Noelle had a crazy idea. “Let’s get married”, she told him.

“We are getting married. I put a ring on your finger remember?” Jared said.

She stopped and said, “No. I mean today. Tonight”.

“What?” he asked her.

“What are we waiting for?” she asked, “I don’t want a big wedding. It’s not like anyone would show up anyway. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Jared Joseph Leto. Why not start tonight?”

“Wait. You’re serious about this?” he asked, “My mother would be pissed”.

“Why waste money we don’t have?” she asked, “Constance will understand”.

That night, the couple went to the justice of the peace and got married.

* * *

A couple of months later, Jared and Noelle still hadn’t told anyone, but he could tell she was getting antsy.

Noelle was downstairs listening to Tomo play, when Jared came running down the stairs and into the studio. She smiled as she listened to the two men argue.

“It’s fucking with me ‘cause it’s off. It gets off”, Tomo said.

“You just got to listen to the click, you’re good”, Jared told him.

Tomo tried it again. “Hold on a second”, Tomo said.

“It’s fine”, Jared insisted, “You just got to keep on that beat. That’s the thing”.

“I’m playing to the click. It’s going slow”, Tomo told him.

“Yeah, I know but you’re right with the click, so it’s really hard”, Jared said, “You know, you got to be like a machine”. “Ah, humans”, Jared sighed, taking a drink of his water as Tomo tried it again. Jared chuckled as Tomo failed once again.

“You hear that the slicer is not with the click?” Tomo asked.

“You want me to play that?” Jared asked him.

“Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah, please do”, Tomo said handing over his guitar, “Prove to me that the slicer’s not slowing down”.

“I’ll prove it right now. Where’s me goddamn pick? Babe, can you find my pick?” Jared asked Noelle.

She picked it up and handed it to him.

“Why thank you, Mrs. Leto”, he said smiling at her.

Noelle pecked him on the lips and said, “You’re welcome, Mr. Leto”.

“Hang on. Am I missing something here?” Tomo asked.

“Remember when we took that break?” Noelle asked.

“You didn’t”, he said.

Jared only smirked.

Tomo grabbed Noelle and Jared and hugged them. “Congratulations, you two. Have you told Constance or Shannon yet?” he asked.

“Nope. We’re going to tell them soon”, Jared said.

“Then when are you going to release it to the press?” Tomo asked.

“After this whole thing with EMI is over with”, Jared told him.

* * *

After resigning with EMI, Jared and Noelle went public with the fact that they got married. _  
_

_Attention Echelon, Jared Leto is officially a married man. Leto and Capozzoli were spotted in Miami around New Years. Sources report that the two married that night after being engaged for 7 days. Is a pregnancy the reason for the quick marriage? We got a chance to ask them ourselves. Capozzoli said that the lawsuit sped things up for them. ‘Everything was so uncertain at that point. We thought, why wait?’ Capozzoli says. ‘I don’t know what I would do without her. She was the one who encouraged me to keep fighting and not give in’, Leto says, ‘We’ve only got one life, you should take advantage of every moment. I didn’t want to waste another minute without Noelle by my side’. Leto’s band mates say the two are made for each other and that they are very happy for the two. No word on when an official ceremony will take place._


	8. Smells Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle are being separated for the first time since getting married.

Jared was packing to leave on tour again.

“This is War” had been a success and sold more than a million copies.

He was searching through his closet when he noticed his favorite red flannel was missing. “Noelle! Have you seen my favorite flannel shirt?!” Jared called. He got no answer so he made his way into the kitchen, where he found her leaning up against the island, wearing his shirt.

“What? This one?” she asked him. She smirked at him over the top of her mug of coffee.

Jared walked around the island to stand behind her.

She looked absolutely delicious bent over.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her back into him. Another one of his hands slid around to the front of her neck and pulled her up.

Noelle let out a soft moan as Jared kissed her neck. She grasped onto the edge of the island as Jared ground his erection into her backside.

The hand on her hip slid up to the shirt and started to unbutton it.

Noelle caught on to what he was doing and she squirmed out of his grasp. “Oh no, you are not getting a hold of this shirt. I’m holding it hostage until you get back”, she told him.

“But Noelle! It’s my favorite one!” Jared whined.

She giggled at him.

He was 38 and pouting like a child.

“But it smells like you”, she said softly.

Jared walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

This would be the first time they were separated.

She had gone with them on their first tour, but this one would consist of both an American tour and a European tour.

“You can keep it”, he told her, “It’ll be incentive to come back”.

She playfully shoved him.

“If you have my shirt, does that mean I can hold one of your items of clothing hostage?” he asked her.

She grabbed his hand and led him upstairs to the bedroom. She walked into their closet and pulled out a scarf. Noelle walked over to him and wrapped it around his neck.

Unconsciously, Jared turned his head and took in her scent. “I’m going to miss you so much”, he told her.

“I’m going to miss you too, Jared”, she said.

He leaned down and kissed her. Slowly, he backed her up against the bed.

“Jared”, Noelle said.

“There’s no way I’m leaving without making love to you one last time”, he told her.

Noelle grabbed the back of his head and kissed him roughly.

* * *

The next morning, Noelle watched from the porch as they loaded up the cars to head to the airport.

She was wearing Jared’s flannel and he was wearing her scarf.

Then the time came to say goodbye.

Tomo hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Try not to have two much fun while we’re gone”, he teased her.

“You’d better call your wife every night”, she told him.

“Yes ma’am”, he said.

Shannon hugged her, lifting her off the ground.

“Shannon! Put me down!” Noelle squealed.

He set her down and said, “There’s the smile I love so much”.

She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Please keep him out of trouble”.

“Of course”, he said softly.

Noelle let go and he kissed her forehead.

Jared came to stand in front of her.

At the same time, the two threw their arms around each other.

Noelle was struggling to hold back tears.

“Don’t”, he told her, “Please don’t cry”.

“Sorry”, she said laughing through her tears.

“I love you, Mrs. Leto”, Jared said.

Noelle smiled and said, “I love you, too, Mr. Leto”.

The two shared a short, but passionate kiss.

“You have no idea how much I want to stay here and spend all day with you in bed”, he told her.

“But then your Echelon would hate me. Go on”, Noelle said.

“I’ll call you when we land”, he said. He kissed her one last time before getting into the car and pulling out of the driveway.


	9. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle are reunited when Jared returns from touring.

Noelle was getting ready for bed when her laptop pinged. She smiled when she realized it was Jared calling.

Jared skyped with her every night, so she always put off going to bed for as long as she could.

She walked over to her laptop and clicked on answer.

Jared’s face appeared on her screen.

“Hey you”, she said.

“Hey”, Jared said, “How are you?”

“Missing you”, she told him, “I can’t wait for you to come home tomorrow”.

“Me neither”, he said, “I miss you sleeping by my side. These Skype calls aren’t enough and your scarf has lost its scent, because my idiot of an older brother washed it on accident”.

“I’m sorry, baby”, Noelle said, “I suppose it’s not fair. Everything here smells like you”.

“It’s fine. I’m just homesick”, he said. Jared ran a hand over his face and said, “It’s different this time. Usually I have no problem leaving significant others behind, but you’re my wife”.

Noelle smiled and said, “I love hearing you call me that”.

“I miss you so much”, Jared told her. He wanted to reach through the screen and touch her. Feel her hair beneath his fingertips.

“Tomorrow”, she said.

“Tomorrow can’t come soon enough”, he said.

“What time is your flight coming in tomorrow?” Noelle asked him.

“I have no clue”, he said, “Hey Shannon!”

“Yeah?” he said entering the room, “Oh, hey Baby Girl”.

“Hi Shannon”, she said, “What time does your flight get in tomorrow?”

“8 in the morning”, he told her.

“Thank you”, Jared said, “Now get out”.

Shannon chuckled and ruffled his younger brother’s hair and left the room.

Noelle yawned. “Sorry”, she said.

“Go to bed, baby. I’ll see you in the morning”, he told her.

“I love you”, she told him.

“I love you too”, Jared said, “I’ll be dreaming about you”.

“You better”, she teased, “Bye”.

“Sweet dreams Noelle”, he said and hung up.

* * *

Noelle was up bright and early the next morning. She cleaned the whole house in preparation for the boys’ arrival. Around 7, she made her way to the airport to wait for the boys to land. She waited anxiously at the baggage claim. She smiled when she saw bright pink hair coming down the escalator.

Jared’s eyes locked with hers when he stepped off.

Noelle saw him turn to Shannon who nodded.

Jared dropped his bags at his brother’s feet and took off.

Noelle started running towards him.

Jared caught Noelle in his arms and kissed her.

They didn’t care about the people around them snapping pictures of them or the paparazzi waiting for them outside the airport.

“Okay, children. Settle down”, Shannon said.

“Yeah, we’re in public”, Tomo said.

“Shut the fuck up”, Jared said.

“Yeah”, Noelle said, “You mean to tell me that you and Vicki have never done the same thing?”

“Let’s just get you two out of here before you end up pulling each other’s clothes off”, Shannon said.

Jared grabbed his bags and threw his arm around Noelle’s shoulders.


	10. Midnight Munchies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared drops by Noelle’s apartment in the middle of the night because he’s hungry.

Noelle was awoken from her slumber by a loud knocking on her front door. She groaned and rolled out of bed. She threw on her favorite hoodie and made her way to the front door. She opened it and wasn’t surprised to find Jared standing there. “Jared, what are you doing here?” she asked him.

“Hey Noelle. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by”, he said. He smelled like marijuana.

Noelle grabbed his head and looked at his pupils.

They were dilated.

“You’re high”, she told him.

Jared chuckled and said, “As a kite”.

“Please tell me you didn’t drive here”, Noelle said.

“Do I look like I’m fucking stupid? I got a cab”, Jared told her.

“I’m going to ask you again. Jared, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“Would you make me something? I’m starving”, he told her.

“You’re high and now you have the munchies, so you thought ‘Hey, why not drop by Noelle’s and ask her to make me something?’” she asked him.

“Please Noelle!” Jared begged, “Help me out”.

One look into his baby blues and she caved.

“Fine!” she snapped, “Come in, but I’m warning you now, I don’t have anything vegan friendly”.

“Surely you’ve got something”, he said making his way into her kitchen. He searched her cabinets and pulled out a box of cereal. “Vegan friendly”, he told her.

“Are you kidding me?! You have cereal back at your house!” Noelle snapped, “Obviously you’re not here for my food, so why are you here Jared?”

“I wanted to see you”, he told her, “You haven’t come by lately…”

Noelle was shocked into silence. “I didn’t know you wanted me there”, she said, “I thought you wanted space”.

“If I wanted space, I would’ve fucking said so Noelle”, Jared snapped at her.

“See! This is why I don’t come by, because one second you’re sweet and then you act like every goddamn woman worships the ground you walk on! I never know which one of you I’m going to get!” Noelle yelled at him.

Jared sighed. “I’m sorry Noelle. It’s been forever since I’ve been in a relationship”, he said.

“Relationship? Last time I checked, Jared, we weren’t in a relationship”, Noelle said.

“But…I thought…” Jared said, confused.

“What? You think just because we went out on a couple of dates, that we’re in a relationship?” she asked him, “Newsflash, Jared. That’s not how it works”.

Jared walked over to her and took her face in her hands. “Will you be my girlfriend, Noelle?” he asked her.

Noelle smiled and captured Jared’s lips with hers. “Of course I will, but only if you go shower and wash that smell off of you”, she told him, “I’ll make you something while you’re showering”.

Jared kissed her and left the kitchen.

Noelle grabbed a bowl to put the cereal in and poured a glass of almond milk.

When Jared entered the kitchen, he found Noelle sitting at the kitchen table. He sat down next to her and kissed her. “Better?” he asked her.

“Better”, she said.

 _I could get used to this_ , Jared thought as he started eating.

For the rest of the night and into the early morning, the two talked and watched movies together.


	11. Emma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle get a little surprise…

Jared woke up to the sound of Noelle throwing up. He got out of bed, pink and brown hair a mess and made his way into the bathroom. He grabbed Noelle’s hair and pulled it back from her face. He rubbed her back as she continued to throw up.

When she was done, she leaned up and flushed it.

“Maybe you need to see a doctor”, Jared told her.

“I’m fine”, she insisted, “Just a stomach bug”. 

Jared helped her up and back into bed. 

They heard a soft knock on the door and Shannon walked in. 

“Wow. Baby Girl, you look like shit”, he said. 

Jared glared at his older brother.

“I feel like it too”, Noelle told him. 

Shannon came over to her and felt her forehead. “Well you’re not running a fever”, he said, “We’re going out, so try to get some rest”. 

Noelle nodded and closed her eyes. She felt Jared kiss her head, before she slipped off into dreamland.

* * *

Noelle woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. “What?” she answered. 

“Is that any way to greet your best friend? I’m coming up”, Macy told her. 

Noelle hung up as she came through the door. “Mace, what are you doing here?” she asked. 

Macy tossed a Walgreen’s bag down on the bed. 

Noelle reached in and pulled out a pink box. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me”, Noelle groaned. 

“When was the last time you had your period?” Macy asked her. 

Noelle started to close her eyes again when she froze. She shot up in bed. “Fuck!” she yelled.

“Now, before you wind yourself up, take the test”, Macy told her. 

Noelle got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

* * *

5 minutes later, they had their answer. 

Noelle stared down at the test, unable to process it.

It was positive. 

“How did you know?” Noelle asked the older woman.

“Honey, I have two kids. I know what pregnancy symptoms are like”, Macy said, “How are you going to tell Jared?” 

Noelle smirked and took out her phone. She grabbed Macy and took a selfie holding the test up. She posted it to Jared’s Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. 

“You think he’s going to see it?” Macy asked him.

“The man can’t go ten minutes without checking his phone. He’ll see it”, Noelle told her. 

* * *

Jared was sitting on Shannon’s couch scrolling through his Instagram feed when his heart stopped. 

Shannon noticed how still his younger brother had gone. “Jay? What’s wrong?” Shannon asked.

Jared turned him with a huge grin on his face. “Noelle’s pregnant”, he said. 

“What?!” Shannon asked, shocked. He grabbed the phone out of Jared’s hand and saw the picture. “Oh my god”, Shannon said, “I’m gonna be an uncle”. 

“I’m gonna be a dad!” Jared yelled in excitement, “Oh my god”. 

The two hugged each other.

Jared broke away and grabbed his keys. He sped back to his house. When he returned home, Noelle was waiting for him on the front porch. He embraced her and said, “Thank you”. 

“You helped”, she reminded him.

* * *

For the next 8 months, Hollywood and the Echelon were in a tizzy. 

Everyone wanted pictures of Noelle pregnant, so the Leto family, plus Tomo of course, spent most of their time at home. 

Shannon never failed to let Noelle just how big she looked, which was usually followed by a smack on the back of the head from Noelle or Constance. 

Jared was a doting father-to-be. He was always helping Noelle and filling his social media accounts with baby news. 

* * *

Unfortunately, Noelle’s due date came and went and they had to induce labor. 

Finally, Emma Elizabeth Leto entered the world. 

“I half expected her to be born with pink hair”, Shannon joked. 

“Don’t encourage her. She’s not dying her hair until she’s at least 18”, Noelle told her. 

“But where’s the fun in that?” Shannon asked. 

Jared took no notice to the argument going on between his brother and his wife. He was too preoccupied with the tiny human in his arms. 

It was love at first sight.


	12. Bang Dem Sticks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macy has a thing for drummers and Noelle knows it.

Noelle and Emma were upstairs and Noelle could hear the rhythmic thumping of Shannon drumming. 

Most parents would go down and tell him to stop, but Noelle picked Emma up and walked downstairs.

“Hey Baby Girl”, Shannon said taking his ear buds out, “Was I too loud?” 

Noelle placed Emma in her play pen in the studio booth and walked over to Shannon. “What were you playing?” she asked him.

“Come here”, he said. He pulled her down into his lap and placed the drum sticks in her hands. He placed his hands on hers and guided her through what he was playing. 

Needless to say, Noelle was horrible. 

“You have no sense of rhythm. How are you even able to sing?” Shannon teased her. 

She flipped him off and grabbed her iPod. She plugged it into an iHome and hit play. 

“Bang Dem Sticks” by Meghan Trainor starting playing, which led to an impromptu dance party between the two, all the while Shannon was trying to play the beat on his drum kit. He failed spectacularly. 

“Turn that shit off”, Jared said coming down the stairs, “Look at who I found on the porch”. 

Macy came down after him. “I’ve come to see the baby!” Macy told her. 

Noelle rolled her eyes and said, “She’s in the booth”. 

Macy bustled into the booth, while Jared walked over to Noelle. He turned off the iPod and kissed Noelle. 

“Thing for drummers, huh?” Jared teased her.

“Did you forget that I married you?” she told him, “Besides, Macy is the one who has a thing for drummers, not me”.

“Is there a certain reason why Emma has a play pen in the studio?” Macy asked.

“It’s so if Jared or I have to be down here practicing or recording, we can watch her while we do it, plus she’s a daddy’s girl”, Noelle told her, “She likes to sit in his lap while he’s mixing”.

“You’re just jealous”, Jared said.

“I’m convinced she only likes him because of his bright hair”, Shannon said, taking Emma from Macy. Shannon was the perfect uncle to Emma. He would babysit her and take her out when Noelle and Jared wanted an afternoon to themselves.

Macy was entranced by him. 

“Easy”, Noelle said to her.

“What?” Macy asked. 

“You’re basically eye-fucking him”, Noelle told her, “I could set you up with him”. 

“What?!” Macy gasped. 

“It’ll be easy. Hey Shannon!” Noelle called.

“What are you doing?” Macy hissed. 

“Macy thinks you’re extremely attractive”, she told him. 

“Thank you, but I know”, Shannon said cockily, “If you wanted me to take you out, you could’ve just asked”. 

Macy blushed.

“Does Saturday at 8:00 work for you?” Shannon asked her. 

Macy nodded quickly. 

“Good”, he said winking at her. 

Noelle took her daughter from Shannon and her and Jared went upstairs. 

“How long do you think it’ll take them to fu…have sex?” Jared said, moderating his language due to Noelle’s glare. 

“The first date”, Noelle told him, “He’s obviously good with children, which is good because Macy already has two children, so you may be an uncle in a couple of months”.


	13. Good Morning Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s morning in the Leto household.

Jared could hear the rhythmic thumping coming from the basement. He rolled over and looked at Noelle, who was still sleeping. 

They’d just return from touring a couple of days ago and they were wiped out. They had spent most their time sleeping. 

“Noelle”, Jared said. 

She made a small sound and rolled away from him. 

He chuckled and sat up, ombre hair a mess. He got out of bed and swiped one of Noelle’s hair bands and put his hair up in a bun. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen to make coffee. As he took two mugs out of the cabinet, Shannon came up the stairs. “How can you be so goddamn awake?” Jared asked him, “By the way, thanks for fucking waking me and Noelle up”.

“It’s called black coffee, little brother. I thought you two were gonna sleep for-fucking-ever”, Shannon told him. 

“Stop fucking calling me that. Tomo here yet?” Jared asked, rubbing his eyes. 

“On his way, so I suggest you get dressed”, Shannon said.

“I am fucking dressed”, Jared deadpanned. 

“It’s too early to listen to you two argue”, Noelle said coming into the kitchen. 

“How is it you look so goddamn beautiful in the morning?” Shannon asked her. 

“It’s an art”, she told him, “And Jared is supposed to say that, not you”. 

“I don’t think he’s awake enough yet”, Shannon said. 

“Good morning and goodbye, Shannon”, Noelle said.

“Okay”, he said throwing his hands up, “I can take a hint”. He slipped his sunglasses back onto his face and left the kitchen. 

Noelle walked over to Jared and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Good morning, beautiful”, Jared told her. He leaned down and placed a warm kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry about Shannon”, he said.

“Babe, you two are package deal. I wouldn’t be dating you if I couldn’t handle him”, Noelle told him.

“How about you get back in bed and I’ll bring you some pancakes?” Jared suggested. 

Noelle gave him a look. 

“No vegan pancakes, I promise”, he told her.

“Don’t make a mess of the kitchen”, she said, “I don’t want to have to clean up after you later”.

“I promise to not make a mess”, Jared said. 

Noelle kissed him and grabbed her mug of coffee, before making her way back upstairs.

As Jared was making the pancakes, Tomo entered the kitchen.

“Making pancakes for the wife, huh?” he asked Jared.

“She’s not my wife”, Jared said waving the spatula in his hand at him. 

“Dude, you’ve been together for 2 years. She went on tour with us for a full year. You’re practically married”, Tomo said, “Have you at least thought about it?” 

Jared was silent for a moment before he said, “Of course I have. I already have a ring picked out and everything”.

“Then why not pop the question?” Tomo asked. 

“I want the timing to be perfect”, Jared told him. As Jared was loading up a tray to take up to Noelle, she came back down the stairs already dressed. “Wait! I made you breakfast”, Jared whined. 

“Thank you baby”, she said, “But Macy just called and something’s wrong with Matthew, so she’s taking him to the hospital and someone has to watch Katherine. Guess who got volunteered? And before you say something, no I’m not bringing her over here”.

Jared pouted.

“Tell you what, I’ll come home early and the four of us will make breakfast dinner together”, Noelle promised him. She leaned up and kissed him.

Jared kissed her back, completely forgetting Tomo was just feet away from them. 

“Okay, okay. Stop before I puke”, Tomo groaned. 

Noelle pulled away and said, “I love you”. 

“Love you too”, he told her. 

Noelle kissed Tomo on the cheek and left the house. 

“Hey, do you mind if I eat these?” Tomo asked Jared.

“Do whatever the fuck you want”, Jared snapped leaving the kitchen. 

“Looks like it’s going to be one of those days”, Shannon said, “Heaven forbid he doesn’t get his way”.


	14. When I Look at You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared has written a new song and he wants Noelle to be the first one to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics belong to "When I Look at You" by Miley Cyrus.

Noelle was lying on the bed when Jared entered the bedroom.

“There you are”, he muttered. He walked up to where she lay. 

“I’m not blowing you, if that’s what you’re wanting”, Noelle told him.

“As nice as that sounds, that’s not why I was looking for you”, Jared told her, “I wrote a new song and I want you to be the first one to hear it”.

“I’m really not in the mood tonight, Jay”, she said.

“Please Noelle?” Jared begged. 

All it took was one look at her with those baby blues and she sighed. “Fine”, she said. She got up and followed him downstairs. 

He sat down at the piano and he invited her to sit next to him on the piano bench. He placed his fingers on the keys and started to play.

 _Everybody needs inspiration_  
Everybody needs a song  
A beautiful melody  
When the nights are long

_‘cause there is no guarantee  
That this life is easy_

_Yeah when my world is falling apart_  
When there’s no light  
To break up the dark  
That’s when I, I  
I look at you

 _When the waves are flooding the shore_  
And I can’t find my way home any more  
That’s when I, I  
I look at you

 _When I look at you_  
I see forgiveness  
I see the truth  
You love me for who I am  
Like the stars hold the moon  
Right there where they belong  
And I know I’m not alone

 _Yeah when my world is falling apart_  
When there’s no light  
To break up the dark  
That’s when I, I  
I look at you

 _When the waves are flooding the shore_  
And I can’t find my way home any more  
That’s when I, I  
I look at you

 _You appear just like a dream to me_  
Just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me  
All I need  
Every breath that I breathe  
Don’t you know you’re beautiful  
Yeah, yeah, yeah

 _When the waves are flooding the shore_  
And I can’t find my way home any more  
That’s when I, I  
I look at you

 _I look at you_  
Yeah,  
Whoa-oh,  
You appear just like a dream to me 

Noelle was in tears by the end of the song. She grabbed Jared’s face and kissed him. “I love you. So much”, she told him.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I would have told EMI to fuck off and we wouldn’t be sitting here right now”, Jared said.

“Shhh”, Noelle cooed, “Let’s not talk anymore”. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief as she kissed him again.


	15. Jury Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared has been summoned for jury duty.

Noelle was up early today, but only because Jared had to be at jury duty. She got up and groaned when she noticed that the sun wasn’t even out yet. She quickly checked on Emma, who was still sleeping, before making her way downstairs. 

Clearly Shannon was still sleeping, because there wasn’t coffee in the coffee maker.

Noelle started brewing some coffee as she made Jared some breakfast. She heard Jared’s alarm go off, which in turn woke Emma up. Noelle sighed and made her way upstairs to her daughter’s room to feed her. 

After putting Emma back to bed, she set about trying to wake Jared up. “Jay! Get up!” Noelle said shaking him. 

He didn’t stir. 

She turned her back to him and two arms wrapped around her waist. She soon found herself under Jared. “Morning”, she told him, brushing some pink hair behind his ear. 

“Good morning, beautiful”, he said kissing her. 

Noelle returned the kiss as she aligned her hips with Jared’s. 

Jared groaned into the kiss as he ground his hips into hers. 

Noelle pulled back from the kiss and gasped. 

It’d been so long since they’d had sex. 

Recording a new album, plus having Emma, cut into a lot of their time. 

Jared kissed her neck, making Noelle arch her back. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful”, he murmured into her skin. When Jared made his way to her breasts, Noelle yelped and pushed on Jared’s shoulders. Jared sighed and rolled off of her.

“I’m sorry”, Noelle said, “I just fed Emma and my nipples hurt”. 

Jared rolled over on his side, propping his head up with one hand. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I think it’s amazing that you’re breastfeeding her”, Jared told her.

“Maybe we can try again later”, she said.

“I look forward to it”, Jared said kissing her again. 

“No”, Noelle told him, “You have jury duty”. 

Jared groaned and got out of bed. He threw on a pair of sweatpants, a green shirt, a jacket, and a pair of black slippers.

“You’re going in that?” Noelle asked him. 

“Noelle, they’re not going to pick me”, he told her.

“Still, what do you think the judge is going to think when he sees you in that?” Noelle asked. 

“Do you really think I give a fuck what the judge is going to think?” Jared asked her. 

“Coffee’s waiting downstairs, along with your breakfast”, she told him. 

“Thank you, babe”, he said kissing her one last time.

* * *

Shannon, Macy, and Noelle were on a play date at the park. 

Matthew and Katherine were running around while Emma was playing with her toys on a blanket. 

Shannon was scrolling through his twitter and said, “That little fucker!” 

“Shannon!” Noelle scolded, covering her daughter’s ears.

“Sorry. Why don’t you look at what your husband tweeted?” Shannon told her. 

She took the phone from him and looked at Jared’s tweet. 

He tweeted a picture of the LA justice building. 

_@jaredleto Shannon’s being prosecuted. ;) LOL #YOLO_

Shannon retaliated by tweeting a picture of him flipping Jared off. 

_@shannonleto: @jaredleto At least I don’t look like a homeless person._


	16. Wish Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared has been stressed out over making the new album, so Noelle tries to take his mind off it.

Jared had been in the studio all day and night and Noelle was getting worried. 

She walked downstairs and placed Emma in Shannon’s arms. “Watch her will you?” she asked him. She went into the recording booth and walked up behind Jared. She slid her hands down his chest and kissed his neck.

“Not now, Noelle”, he told her, focusing on the computer screen in front of him. 

“Baby, you’ve been down here for a full 24 hours. You need to take a break or you’re going to burn out. Come on. Let’s go out”, Noelle said. 

Jared ignored her.

Noelle pouted and said, “Fine. I’ll just go out with Shan”. 

Jared’s head snapped up at that. “Who would watch Emma?” Jared asked her. 

“You! You’re her father, Jared! She hasn’t seen you in 2 days!” Noelle snapped at him. 

Emma started crying causing Noelle’s breasts to start leaking. 

Noelle sighed in frustration. “I’m going to feed her and then we’re going to talk”, Noelle said leaving the booth. Noelle took Emma from her brother-in-law and took her upstairs.

* * *

After feeding her daughter, Noelle put her down for a nap. She felt two arms wrap around her waist. 

“I’m sorry”, Jared said, “I’m stressed out”. 

“I know that Jared. Your stressing out, stresses me out!” she sighed, “I know you want this next album to be as good as the last two and it will be, but you don’t have to do it alone. Shannon, Tomo, and I can shoulder some of the load too; you don’t have to carry it all by yourself”. Noelle stepped away from Emma’s crib and sat down in the rocking chair.

Jared stared down at his daughter. 

She was his entire world. 

He would quit the music and acting business for her in a heartbeat. “I’m a horrible husband and father”, Jared whispered.

“Oh Jay…” Noelle said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder blades. “You’re not horrible. You just need to step back from the album for a couple days”, she told him, “Come on. I’ve got an idea”.

* * *

An hour later, they were walking down a trail in the Hollywood hills.

It’d been so long since they had gone out on a date. 

Emma was almost 2 months old by now and while she was her parent’s world, 

Jared and Noelle missed when it was just them. 

The two walked by a field and Jared stopped. 

“Jay, what is it?” Noelle asked him. 

He let go of her hand and jumped the wooden fence. 

“Jared!” Noelle yelled. 

He grabbed the biggest dandelion he could find. He walked over to the fence and held it out to Noelle. “Make a wish, Noelle”, he told her.

“I don’t need to wish for anything. My wish already came true. I married a man I love and had a gorgeous daughter”, she told him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Sure you don’t want to make a wish?” Jared asked her. 

“What would I wish for?” she asked. 

“A real wedding”, he told her. 

Noelle looked at him, shocked. 

“Will you marry me again? In front of all our friends and family? Officially?” he asked her. 

Noelle’s eyes filled with tears as she kissed him again. “Yes”.


	17. Throw Away the Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noelle flies to Paris to see Jared while 30STM is on tour.

Jared stood in the airport, waiting for Noelle. He had dressed in the most casual clothes as possible and he had his hood up. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with fans. 

All he wanted was to see Noelle again. 

She’d flown to Paris just to see him and Jared couldn’t wait to show her the city. Noelle came down the escalator and Jared smiled. 

He calmly walked over to the escalator, so he could meet her at the bottom.

As she stepped off, Jared took her hand in his. 

“Jared?” Noelle asked. 

Jared smiled as she attacked him with a hug. “I missed you”, Jared told her.

“I missed you too, Jay”, she said. 

* * *

After settling Noelle into the hotel (in Jared’s room of course), they stopped at a small café to eat. 

“So, how’s the food?” she asked him. 

“Much more options than other cities”, he told her.

“So what do you have in mind for this visit?” she asked him.

“I figured that I’d show you the city, since you’ve never been here”, Jared told her, “This is only my second or third time, so there’s a lot that I’ve never even seen”. 

The two spent their meal talking about tour antics and what was going on in L.A.

“So what time is your show tonight?” Noelle asked Jared. 

“Let me worry about that. Today is just about the two of us”, he told her. He took her hand in his and kissed the diamond ring on her finger. “My lovely wife”, he said. 

Noelle smiled. She loved hearing that word come out of his mouth. 

“Are you coming to the show?” he asked her.

“I’ve thought about it. I was thinking of singing that song we’ve been working on together”, she explained.

“I’m sure the Echelon would love that”, he said, “I’ll run it by the guys and see if we can work it in”. He pulled out his phone, but Noelle snatched it out of his hands. 

“Not right now. I want you to myself”, she said. She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him towards her, finally kissing him. 

* * *

The two walked around the city, until they came across the Pont des Arts. 

Jared watched as Noelle ran her fingers along the rail. 

She leaned up against it, looking out across the city. 

Jared walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I have a surprise for you”, Jared said.

Noelle turned and watched as he pulled something out of his pocket. Her eyes went wide when they settled on the lock with _JL &NL_ emblazoned on the front. She gently took the lock from Jared. 

He unlocked it and said, “Pick a spot”. 

Noelle turned around and placed it right where they were standing. She clicked it shut and watched as Jared threw the key over the side of the bridge and into the water. “I love you”, Noelle told him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss.

He reached into her coat pocket and stole his phone back.

It wasn’t until later when she was scrolling through his twitter feed she found this tweet. _  
_

_@jaredleto: @noelleleto If I know what love is, it is because of you. – Hermann Hesse_


	18. Joke's on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared returns home from touring to find a little surprise waiting for him.

“Hey, wanna hang out tonight?” Shannon asked on the flight back to L.A. 

“Nah man, I really just want to see Noelle”, Jared told him.

“Want me to watch Emma for you?” Shannon asked.

Jared simply handed his older brother his phone. 

Shannon pulled up Jared’s texts and found one from Noelle that said, “Already sent Emma over to Macy’s”. 

“Well, it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting any tonight”, Shannon said.

“Sorry bro”, Jared said, “Oh wait…no I’m not”.

* * *

Jared entered the house and dropped his stuff in the living room. “Noelle?” he called. He made his way to the stairs. “Noelle?” he called again. “In here, big boy”, he heard. He continued his way down the hallway to his bedroom. He opened the door and saw Noelle lying on the bed wearing a red and black corset, black and red lace underwear, with her hair up in pigtails. 

“Welcome home, Mistah J”, she said crawling towards him. 

“Noelle? What are you doing? Why are you dressed up like that?” he asked her. 

“Whassa matter, puddin’? Not happy to see me?” she asked him, pouting her lips. 

_Puddin’?_ Jared thought. He smirked when he realized what she was doing. 

She’d wanted to role play with him as the Joker for a while now, but he’d been unable to since playing the dark and twisted character and he hadn’t wanted to unleash that on her. She had been understanding and given him his space. She had went through all the trouble and he didn’t want to deny her any longer. 

He strutted towards her and grabbed her chin. 

The movement made her squeak. 

His hand slid down to her throat and he pulled her closer to him. “Look at you all dressed up for me. Aren’t you daddy’s good little monster?” he asked her. 

She nodded as he pulled up onto her knees, still holding her throat. 

Jared slammed his lips onto hers.

Noelle’s arms wrapped themselves around his neck. 

They kissed for while, before Noelle broke away from his lips and started kissing his neck.

“Noe…Harley”, he corrected himself. 

“Shh”, she cooed, “Let me take care of you, Mistah J”. 

Jared started panting as she started kissing his collarbone. 

It’d been so long since they’d been together; just her touch was close to sending him over the edge. 

Suddenly, her lips were gone. 

Jared opened his eyes and saw her patting the bed. He sat down on the bed and she pushed him onto his back straddling his hips. 

She leaned down and went back to covering his neck in kisses.

Jared buried one of his hands in her hand, gripping it tight in his fist. 

Noelle squeaked and gasped, grinding her hips down into his. 

Jared tried bucking his hips up into hers, but she stopped him by holding his hips down. 

“Ah, ah, puddin’”, she said. 

Jared growled as Noelle started unbuttoning his shirt, kissing every inch of newly exposed skin. 

She licked his “Provehito in altum” tattoo, before moving down his chest and abdomen. She lightly ran her nails down his stomach to the beginning of his jeans. “Is that a gun in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me?” Noelle joked. She kissed along the edge of his jeans. 

“Harley”, he growled. 

Noelle immediately sat up and crawled her way back up his body.

Jared tried to push her back down, but she grabbed his wrists and held them down on the bed while she sat on his chest. 

She leaned down and brushed his lips with hers.

Jared leaned his head up and tried to capture her lips with his, but Noelle jerked her head back. 

She leaned down again and said, “Joke’s on you, baby”. Noelle jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom, leaving a very frustrated Jared lying on the bed.

He sat up. 

She wanted to unleash the Joker?

Well she had just gotten her wish.


	19. Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Noelle are still trying to recover from Jared playing the Joker.

“So I’m sitting here with Suicide Squad’s Jared Leto. How are you Jared?”

“I’m good”, Jared answered.

“What about gorgeous wife and daughter of yours?” 

“Noelle’s good and Emma’s growing like a little weed”, Jared said.

“There’s been rumors that you and Noelle are expecting again. So tell us, is there a baby number two on the way?”

“I don’t know, you’ll just have to wait and find out”, Jared teased. 

The interviewer asked him a couple of questions about the movie and working with his co-stars, before the conversation turned back to Noelle. 

“So what did Noelle think about you playing the Joker?” 

Jared bit the side of his lip and said, “I’m not comfortable answering that question on camera”. 

“Oh. Umm…moving on then”. 

When the interview ended, Jared immediately stormed off to call Noelle. 

She was the only one who could calm him down. 

He found himself a quiet corner and dialed her number. 

“Jared? What’s wrong?” Noelle asked. 

“They asked about you”, he said. 

Noelle was silent on the other side. “I see”, she said after a moment, “What did you say?”

“I didn’t answer”, he told her. 

“Baby, I’m sorry”, she said.

“No. It’s not your fault, Noelle”, he reassured her. He still remembered the day he got the call.

* * *

_Jared was down in the studio when he got the call. He stopped the music and said, “I gotta take this”. He made his way upstairs before answering the call. “Hello?” he asked.  
_

_“Hello Jared. This is the casting director for Suicide Squad and we’d love for you to come in and read for the Joker”, the woman on the other side of line said._

_“Pardon the pun, but are you joking?” he asked.  
_

_She giggled and said, “No. I assure you this is a genuine offer”._

_“Great. I’m free all week. Just send me the script so I can look it over”, Jared told her._

_“Right away. Thank you, Mr. Leto. We look forward to seeing you”, she said and hung up.  
_

_Jared sighed. Now he just had to tell Noelle. He found her in Emma’s nursery just watching her nap. “Noelle?” Jared asked.  
_

_“Yeah?” she said.  
_

_“There’s something we need to talk about”, he told her. He led her into the bedroom and said, “The casting director for Suicide Squad called and they want me to read for the Joker”.  
_

_Noelle forced a smile and said, “That’s great, baby”._

_“You know I can tell when you’re lying”, Jared told her.  
_

_Noelle’s smile dropped._

_“Talk to me, babe”, he told her, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”  
_

_“Don’t do it”, she told him._

_“What?” he asked._

_“Please don’t take this role”, she begged him._

_“But, Noelle…this could be a big opportunity!” Jared insisted.  
_

_“But at what cost?!” Noelle snapped, “Do you have any idea what you’re taking on?! Heath Ledger lost his fucking mind playing this character! I don’t want to lose you…”  
_

_Jared took Noelle’s face in his hands. “You won’t lose me Noelle”, he told her.  
_

_“Jared, I know how method you are. Rayon taught me that, but this one…I’ve got a bad feeling about”, she said, “It’s going to take you weeks to put yourself into that mindset and…I don’t want to be around you when you’re like that. I don’t want Emma to see you like that”.  
_

_Jared sat next to her on the bed and sighed. “I don’t want this role to break us apart”, Jared told her._

_“It won’t. I’ll stay with Shannon and Macy”, Noelle told him._

_“What?” Jared asked._

_“I love you Jared. So much…but I married you. Not your characters. This is going to be hard on both of us, but…I don’t want any contact with you while you’re filming. No phone calls, no texts, no Skype sessions…do you understand?” she asked.  
_

_Jared nodded and said, “I understand”._

* * *

It still took Jared about a week to shake off the Joker personality. 

The weeks he was filming were hell on Noelle, but she was lucky she had Shannon and Macy as her support system through it all. 

“Oh! Before I forget, I thought of a name. It’s unisex, so it’ll work for either a girl or boy”, Noelle said.

“What is it?” Jared asked her.

“Quinn”, she told him.

“Quinn?” Jared asked, “You do realize that if we name them that, all I’ll be able to think about is that night”. 

“Well, this whole experience has been a less than pleasant one. Why not make a bad situation into a good one? If we name it Quinn, it’ll remind us of all we’ve been through and how we made to the other side”, Noelle explained. 

Jared sighed and said, “God I love you”. 

“I love you too, puddin’”, she said and hung up. 

Jared just chuckled.

“Jared, they need you for some more interviews”, Emma told him, “I’ve told them not to ask about Noelle”. 

“No. It’s fine now”, Jared told her. 

“Are you sure?” she asked him. 

“Yeah, we’ve worked everything out and now it’s good”, Jared said. 

The time he spent playing the Joker was a dark rabbit hole that he was still trying to crawl his way out of, but now he could see that there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“Okay then”, Emma said and ushered Jared inside.


	20. Bright Lights

“Okay, so this one is a new song we’re thinking of putting on the next album”, Jared announced, “It’s called Bright Lights”.

One of the stage hands handed him his acoustic guitar and he strummed it a couple of times. 

Noelle was down in front of the audience, standing by the barrier and the security guards. 

His eyes locked with hers as he started singing. “ _I’ve been dreaming of things yet to come. Living, learning, watching, burning. Eyes on the sun_ ”, he sang, “ _I’m leaving, gone yesterday. Brutal, laughing, fighting, fucking. The price I had to pay. Bright lights, big city. She dreams of love. Bright lights, big city. He lives to run_ ”. As Jared sang, his eyes never left Noelle’s.

It was obvious to everyone that he was singing to her. 

She was in tears by the end.

“I love you”, he mouthed to her. 

“I love you too”, she mouthed back.

* * *

The next day, the band went to the local radio station to promote their next show. 

“I’d like to talk to Jared for a moment”, the host said, “We heard that you premiered a new song last night”. 

“That’s right. It was the first time for anyone besides us to hear it”, Jared said.

“I have the lyrics in front of me and I’d like to ask you some questions about what they mean and where they came from”. 

Jared nodded.

“So the opening line reads _I’ve been dreaming of things yet to come. Living learning, watching, burning. Eyes on the sun._ I was wondering if you’d mind explaining that”.

“As you know, Noelle and I have been married less than a year”, Jared said. 

“Congratulations by the way”.

“And this song is kind of my thank you to her. She married me when everything with our record deal was going down and she was my rock. The line _“I’ve been dreaming of things yet to come_ ” is saying that I’m looking forward to our life together. I can’t wait to experience all that I can with her”, Jared explained. 

“Does that mean we could see some little rockstars in the future?” 

Jared just smirked and said, “You’ll just have to wait and see”.

“The next lines read _I’m leaving, gone yesterday. Brutal, laughing, fighting, fucking. The price I had to pay._ I’m wondering if this means that you and Noelle fight often”. 

“Every couple fights”, Jared told him, “This is the first tour where we’ve been separated. She came with us for the last year of our “A Beautiful Lie” tour, but with this one, she was unable to come with us for all of it so we don’t get to see each other a lot. We mostly Skype, but it’s still hard”. 

“And then we come to the refrain which says _Bright lights, big city. She dreams of love. Bright lights, big city. He lives to run_ ”. 

“As you know, we all live in L.A, so the majority of the lyrics are talking about that”, Jared said.

“What about She dreams of love and He lives to run?”

Jared hesitated for a moment. His phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw, “It’s okay”. “Sorry. Before Noelle came to L.A., she was in an unhealthy relationship, so she ran away to L.A. When I asked her to marry me, she told me she never believed that she would fall in love again after what happened. The second line is my way of thanking her for understanding. She knows that I can’t sit still and that I always have to be doing something. But I know she’ll be by my side no matter what I do”, he said. 

“So we go back to chorus which says _Demon, where did my angel go? Vacant, vapid, stupid, perfect. You are the one_ ”. 

All three of them laughed.

“Noelle can be a hellcat when she gets angry”, Shannon explained, “We’ve all been on the receiving end of it”.

“She’s scary”, Tomo said. 

“As soon as I met her, I knew she would be the girl for me”, Jared said, “Simple as that”. 

“Then we come to _A new day, a new age, a new face, a new lay. A new love, a new drug, a new me, a new you_ ”.

“I met Noelle back in 2007, right after the music video for “From Yesterday” came out and we’ve changed so much since then. The world has to and we’re still finding out things about each other. And every day we grow closer”, Jared explained.

“Then finally we come to the bridge that says _I forgive, Had enough. Time to live. Time to love_ ”. 

“Before I met Noelle, I was completely focused on making music, touring, promoting the band, etc. She taught me that some point you’ve got to slow down and enjoy life”, Jared said, “I’m still amazed to this day that she puts up with me and I love her”. Jared’s phone buzzed again. 

_I love you too - NL_


End file.
